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Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) runs for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at State Farm Stadium. Photo: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Week 17 Thursday Night Football: Bears vs Seahawks Bets

Originally posted on On Tap Sports Net | By Joey Ricotta | Last updated Dec 26, 2024 9:36 PM ET

The Chicago Bears have hit rock bottom over and over again this season. After starting the season 4-2, the team now sits last in the NFC North with a 4-11 record and are currently in the midst of a nine-game losing streak. The New York Giants are currently the only team with a longer losing streak at 10 games.

It’s all been downhill since the game-ending, botched Hail Mary against the Washington Commanders in Week 8. Former Head Coach Matt Eberflus was fired after failing to call a timeout in the closing seconds of the Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions. Usually, the team that fires their head coach gets a new-coach bump the following week or the week after. That hasn’t been the case for the Bears under interim head coach Thomas Brown. Since he’s taken over, the Bears have lost three straight games and been outscored by opponents 102-42.

On the other hand, the Seattle Seahawks have something left to play for; they are only one game back of the Los Angeles Rams for first place in the NFC West. They have lost each of their last two games to the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. That said, the strength of opponent is not quite the same here against the Bears.

D’Andre Swift Over 13.5 Receiving Yards (-118 BetRivers)

The most straightforward line for Swift is 11.5 receiving yards, found at -140 on BetMGM. However, I don’t love that price, and I believe he’ll have no problem getting to 14 or more receiving yards, so this is where I’m taking it. Swift caught three passes for 33 yards last week against the Lions.

The Seahawks have been gashed by opposing running backs through the air. Here are the numbers over the past five games allowed to opposing backs:

4 catches, 31 yards vs. MIN
5-51 vs. GB
9-51 vs. AZ
5-44 vs. NYJ
5-41 vs. AZ

Zach Charbonnet Over 68.5 Rushing Yards (-110 FanDuel)

The Bears have been destroyed by opposing backs on the ground this season. They have allowed opposing runners to run for 117.2 yards per game. With the Seahawks’ regular starting running back, Kenneth Walker, placed on injured reserve earlier today, Charbonnet will receive workhorse usage and should be able to smash this total.

Charbonnet played 80% of the snaps in Week 14 and 15 when Walker was out. In Week 15 against the Cardinals, he carried the ball 22 times for 134 yards. Charbonnet only ran for 54 yards in Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers. However, the Seahawks abandoned the run early as they fell behind quickly, and he still had 6.75 yards per carry on only eight attempts.

Seattle Seahawks -1.5 First Quarter (+118 FanDuel)

The Bears’ offense has started tremendously slow in every game this season, barely getting anything going offensively early on. They have been shutout in four straight games in the first quarter and 11 times this season, with a grand total of only 20 points scored through 15 games. I don’t see any reason for things to change now. The defense should continue to struggle as they have allowed each of their last three opponents to score 30+ points on them since firing Eberflus.

Thirsty Thursday #CrackUm Parlay of the Day:

Seahawks 1Q -1.5 & Bears ML (+714 FanDuel)

The Bears have to break out of their funk at some point, right? Maybe not. But this is still a home game for them, and while they don’t have anything to play for the rest of the season regarding playoff implications, there is still this little thing called pride. If they have any pride left at all, they’ll show up tonight on the national stage and at least put up a fight.

I wouldn’t risk more than 0.2 units on this absolutely diabolical and illogical bet, but I’m at least going to try to have a little bit of fun rooting for the team that has caused me so much pain for over 30 years.

This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.

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